Almost Caught up – Carcassonne to Bordeaux

We’re up to the 11th April now and the Carcassonne morning is cold, grey, cloudy and with a misty rain in the air. It doesn’t help my mood especially when I see the poor snaffling environment of the breakfast room. I force myself to eat Frosties with yoghurt before loading up, wrapping up and hitting the motorway that I’d travelled in the opposite direction in yesterday.

Past Toulouse and I’m in new territory again heading for Bordeaux and the sun’s come back out – looks like it might be another scorcher. It is pretty uninteresting so nothing for the helmet cam. To make up for that here’s a couple of clips from yesterday’s run: one and two – and here’s a flash back to where I emerged form the tunnel in the Alps into (and I think you’ll agree) a rather tired looking Italian road. The Alps remain fresh as ever.

Just before Bordeaux I stop to get the “map” out – well the atlas anyway. Here I decide I simply have to break off and see some smaller roads and I spot the west coast roads just south of La Rochelle – I could have a play around there before heading inland due east to the little place I was staying that night: Saint-Hilaire-de-Villefranche. It is on this exploration that I practically ran into Jesus himself.

 

And for anyone thinking it might be interesting to drive through the Bordeaux region then just put your bleeding foot down – there aren’t any bends and the there’s only grapes and that.

Well I must say that the B&B I have booked is amongst the Frenchiest yet. No one there can speak any Ingerlish and so my cunning lingual skills are really put to the test.

The place is lovely and they’re very friendly with the longest WIFI code imaginable. WIFI is an important element of my choice of accommodation because not only do I need to undertake meticulous planning but my blogs require the hook up. So I am initially dismayed and with a distinct feeling of being cheated when the connectivity from within my suite of rooms – for it is so – is non-existent. I try in vain and it is getting late and I just don’t feel like the translation battle it will inevitably become to raise the issue with my host. Instead I settle down to blog offline with the intention (as it turned out a well placed and successful intention) to upload it quickly in the morning from the front garden where the signal was so strong earlier.

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It made for a relaxing evening and I was also reassured by the fact that I have booked ahead this time. I knew where I needed to be the following night already and in the morning I will decide my route, including my off-pistes.

It made for a good night’s sleep – not least because one of the reviews for this place raved about the breakfast: I must take a bag with me in the morning.

Waiting for me on the breakfast table was a large bowl – a good sign I thought, obviously a multiple-coursed breakfast. I accepted the offer of coffee at which point it was poured into my bloody bowl – apparently this French breed slurp their coffee from large bowls. Now of course a large Americano in Starbucks comes in a bathtub-sized container that at least has a handle – even if it’s too heavy to lift. I mime picking it up with my hands and drinking from it directly to my elderly host and he encourages me to do so – no need for a straw.

He’s old but he keeps his eyes on me: I eat as much as I can but there’s no way he’s letting me snaffle any of the bread or freshly made “white cake” –  a kind of dense cake loaf thing… not bad when dipped in my vat of coffee.

Two other guests sit with me – neither can be bothered to speak English so I engage them with my extensive vocabulary of French mimes: which I think they liked. The guy opposite me is part way through some kind of enormous stroll. He has a card with him that our host stamps with something that certifies him as an idiot and he tells me he’s already been through Susa in Italy (you’ll remember that’s Francesco’s gig)! He’ll also be covering some of Spain. He’s out for a few months apparently. God – why would he come this way? It was dull enough driving through this part of the country at 100 mph what the heck’s he gonna do on those two doddering plates of meat?

After breakfast I am able to sit in the sunny garden and upload a blog update then I’m off again heading up past Le Mans close to Alencon for my penultimate stop.